The Eagle Has Landed
by MollyCoddles
Summary: Luna's outrageous hats are a clever combination of daydreaming creativity and artistic talent. She's got plenty of creativity, but artistic assistance is a commodity that must be bargained for. How far will she go to keep up her end of the deal?Ootp era


Title: The Eagle Has Landed  
Word count: 1445 Rating: PG  
Character(s): Dean Thomas, Luna Lovegood, Anthony Goldstein, Argus Filch, Irma Pince -- set during OotP era

Written for Springtimegen fic exchange community ages ago. No disrespect intended to JKR.

A/N: Many thanks to K for the inspiration and beta work!

Summary: Luna's outrageous hats are a clever combination of daydreaming creativity and artistic talent. She's got plenty of creativity, but artistic assistance is a commodity that must be bargained for. How far will she go to keep up her end of the deal?

_**The Eagle Has Landed**_

Anthony Goldstein spotted a fellow Ravenclaw weaving her way down the hall. She seemed to be staggering under the weight of something huge perched atop her head. He squinted for a better look. The boy's breath caught when the bulky thing suddenly emitted a frighteningly loud roar. He sprinted down the hall to catch up, wand drawn.

Panting a bit, he slowed as he got near enough to register what he saw. He recognised the student now. It was Luna Lovegood, a fourth year, and she was sporting a huge… well, hat, he supposed was the word for it. It was huge, shaped like a lion, and though the thing seemed to be purring at the moment, the noise it had made before had been startlingly realistic.

_Nothing like demonstrating where one's loyalties lie,_ he thought. Trying to hide his irritation, he said with careful politeness, "Luna, a word, please."

"Oh! Just one?" She tapped her lips, wearing a thoughtful expression. "Goobletysnerk!"

"What?" Anthony blinked. "You know, never mind. I would like to speak with you regarding your unusual headgear."

"Oh, isn't it delightful? The roaring charm was a bit of a challenge, but I got it in the end!"

"Erm, yes, it's very…festive. My point is, it's also a lion, which is all right, I suppose, as long as Ravenclaw isn't playing. During our matches, though, you should show support for our House."

"I'm not sure that I can teach the lion to speak eagle," she said seriously. "Lions aren't really equipped to be bilingual. They just don't have the vocal chords to shriek."

"No, I wasn't suggesting…." Anthony rubbed his left temple. "Wouldn't you rather wear an eagle hat for Ravenclaw games?"

Luna frowned. "I'm not sure Dean would help me make an eagle. He's very good at art, you see. He offered to help me with my lion if I would help him."

_Help him do what? _Anthony forced himself not to ask. "Well, do your best. If he won't help, there are others that are good at art you could ask, I'm sure."

"I don't think there are many who would be willing to help me with any sort of project," she said doubtfully.

"Just don't wear the lion to our games." He nodded in dismissal and watched her continue her meandering path down the hall, drawing whispers and pointing fingers from the witches and wizards in the portraits.

-------------------------

"Dean?" Luna approached the Gryffindor boy in the library. She'd waited for days for an opportunity to speak with him privately. He'd been sensitive about being seen together last time.

He looked up at her, frowned and glanced around for casual observers. Seeing none, he answered, "Hello."

"I wondered if there was anything I could help you with," she said.

"Because your last attempt was so successful?" He eyed her sourly.

"I got what you asked for," she said. "It's not my fault your plan didn't go as you'd hoped. I warned you the Sneezlewhatzits wouldn't cooperate."

He huffed derisively, tapping his quill on the desk as he surveyed the surroundings again. "Why are you offering to help?"

"I need a favour in return," she said.

His eyes narrowed. Dean looked about to speak until voices nearby caused him to pause and frown over his shoulder.

"I could use a book on cleaning potions…." Argus Filch's raspy tones drifted over the shelves. "Filthy students muddying the halls…deserve thumbscrews…. Professor Snape will brew the potions. He owes me."

"I believe I have just the thing." Madam Pince's voice was low and soft, quite unlike her usual harsh pitch. There was a sliding sound of a book being pulled from the shelf. "Now, I know you are an extremely busy man, but if you fancied brewing some of these yourself--if Professor Snape is otherwise occupied--I would be available to assist you in the evenings…."

Dean's lip curled as the voices dissipated. Luna thought for a Gryffindor, it was a very Slytherin expression. "Merlin," he said, "even that old git's getting some action."

She scanned titles on the shelves idly while Dean appeared to contemplate her offer.

Finally, he asked, "So what is it you want?"

---------------------

Dean and Luna arranged to meet as often as they covertly could, keeping conversation to bare minimum, nearly speaking in code when they met in person. They exchanged information by leaving folded parchments in front of page 8,945 in some huge, ancient tome. When they left or retrieved notes from one another, each was careful to replace the layer of dust afterwards.

Luna delighted in the progress of her shrieking eagle headgear. Dean designed a way for the wings to flap and started working on making the beak open and close. She did her best to pay back the favour by passing along the information he requested, although she did not notice much advancement in his quest.

She tried to help. She warned Harry about Nargles and spread the word among the Ravenclaws as well. She banished dangling bunches of mistletoe in corridors and dimly lit corners.

She had just been forced to use a mild Reductor curse on a particularly stubborn sprig when Anthony Goldstein and Michael Corner rounded a corner and nearly knocked her into a suit of armour.

"Sorry, Luna," Michael said, steadying her. "All right there?"

"What are you doing?" Anthony inquired. "Shouldn't you be working on your hat?"

She stared at them. "Yes. This is part of the bargain."

"Dean asked you to get rid of all the mistletoe?" Anthony asked disbelievingly. "Why? Is he allergic?"

"Ruddy Gryffindors." Michael huffed. "I bet they think winning a few games of Quidditch gives them the right to dictate holiday decorations! I can't wait until we mop the field with them. They need to be taken down a notch."

They continued down the hall, apparently forgetting about Luna as they discussed the finer points of Quidditch strategy. Her eyes, normally as wide and unblinking as an owl's, narrowed with speculation.

----------------------------

As months passed, Luna's hat feathered out nicely. She had some extra time to work on it over the Easter holidays, perfecting the shrieking charm while Dean added finishing touches to make the eyes blink. With plenty of time before the next match, she practised the charms and wand motions that made the eagle look as though it were alive. "This is even better than the lion, I think," she said, misty eyes alight. "Thank you so much for helping me, Dean."

He shrugged. "Don't forget our bargain."

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Luna sat in the stands to watch the final Quidditch match of the season. It was a beautiful day for Ravenclaw to play Gryffindor. The eagle hat was working flawlessly, and as the game progressed, she prompted it to shriek loudly several times, startling the players and causing more than one fumbled pass. When some of her fellow Ravenclaws began grumbling about the noise interfering with their players' aim, she answered, "The eagle is just trying to encourage the team."

She hid a tiny smile when someone behind her growled, "Yeah, but which team?"

After the game, she paused near the stands, watching Michael and Ginny arguing. Michael stormed off, following Cho Chang, who'd thrown her broom to the ground in a fit of temper and tears.

Luna waited. After the crowd of Gryffindors carried Ron to the castle, she saw a lone redhead straggling behind and fell into step with her. "You played an excellent game. Congratulations on catching the Snitch."

"Thanks, Luna," Ginny answered wearily. "Michael wasn't a very good sport about it, unfortunately."

"Bad luck for him," Luna said. "You're better off with someone else, anyway. Someone you share things in common with—or share a common room with."

"What are you on about?" Ginny asked.

As they entered the castle, Luna's hat gave a little squawk. She paused to adjust it.

"Hi, Ginny," Dean said, stepping out of a hallway. "Great game today. Can I walk you up to the party in the common room?"

"Hi, Dean," the girl answered, smiling as if seeing him in a new light. "Sure, let's go on up."

Luna watched raptly while the boy pulled out a bar of Honeyduke's finest. "Would you care for some chocolate?" he asked.

Ginny's face lit up. "Oh thank you!" she exclaimed. "That's my favourite! How did you know I always want chocolate after a game?"

"Oh, a little bird told me," he said with a smile.

Luna observed the pair contentedly as Dean motioned for Ginny to precede him up the stairs. He paused and turned. His eyes met Luna's for a fraction of a second. He winked and mouthed, "Thank you."


End file.
